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Recusal motion is denied


Published: Monday, November 21, 2005 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, November 20, 2005 at 11:00 p.m.

The scheduling magistrate in the Gov. Don Siegelman criminal case has declined to recuse himself. U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Coody said requests by three defendants for his recusal weren't enough to require him to step down from the case in Montgomery federal court. Siegelman, former HealthSouth Chairman Richard Scrushy and former Siegelman transportation director Mack Roberts filed recusal motions citing alleged conflicts of interest Coody has in the case. They included Coody's wife hearing two of her students discuss frustrations by their road contractor father, who was a witness before a grand jury that indicted Roberts, and Coody's grown children's employment with or ownership of some of HealthSouth's 396 million shares of stock.- During a recent scheduling conference, Scrushy asked for permission to keep his firearm, which was granted. The three, along with former Siegelman aide Paul Hamrick, were charged in a racketeering, bribery and extortion conspiracy, federal prosecutors said. They pleaded innocent. Defendants who want separate trials in the case have until Dec. 14 to file separate trial motions, U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller said. No trial dates have been set. Coody said in court papers that a magistrate judge handles all pretrial motions except those made in court by the presiding judge.

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  • Gov. Bob Riley has appointed Susan P. Chambers, of Montgomery, associate commissioner of mental health services for the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. Chambers has been director of Greil Memorial Hospital in Montgomery since 1997. As associate commissioner, she will oversee the operation of seven state psychiatric facilities and contract providers of mental illness services, a release said. The state serves over 110,000 Alabamians who have mental illnesses. Chambers has over 30 years' experience in state government. She holds a bachelor's degree from Auburn University and a master's degree in public administration from Auburn University in Montgomery. "She is committed to providing quality recovery-based services for our citizens through a system of care that is efficient, well managed and consumer driven,'' Mental Health Commissioner John Houston said.

  • A southern lobbying firm has expanded to Alabama. Southern Strategy Group said its new office in Montgomery will be staffed by former long-time SouthTrust lobbyist Logan Gray and by Carol Brown, formerly with the Business Council of Alabama. Gray is an Auburn city councilman. "We are enthusiastic about bringing this model of professional advocacy to Montgomery,'' said Gray, the new state director. "The South is growing in population and political influence,'' Brown said. Gray lobbied for SouthTrust, which was bought by Wachovia, for 13 years. Southern Strategy Group has offices in the state capitals of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina, and plans to open offices in Arkansas and Kentucky, the company said in a-statement.

  • The deadline for applying for a capital internship with the Alabama Law Institute is Dec. 1, Law Institute Director Robert McCurley Jr. said. The Law Institute's internship program is for Alabama college students in either their third or fourth years. They'll work during the 2006 legislative session from January through April with legislators in Montgomery, Curley said. For information, call 205-348-7411 or check the Web at www.ali.state.al.us.

    Dana Beyerle is Montgomery Bureau chief for the New York Times Regional Newspapers.


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